A Dream

Claustrophobic surroundings. Falling but not, into a dark, pink abyss. A splash.

I wake up, a slight amount of water falling off the tree slapping me awake. I gasp, check my surroundings. Still on a tree. Sunlight. Hard bark. Not dark. Not claustrophobic. I sigh, and lean back. The third time this week I had that dream. Ever since I met that stupid fortune-telling Kadabra. Don't trust psychics, I was told as a Treecko. I jumped out of the tree, landing on the damp grass. The dream started as just a pink something coming at me before startling me awake. Day 2, it felt like I was being bound by something and shoved into a tight spot. Then today, or rather last night, from inside the spot I fell slowly into a pink something, followed by a splash, like hitting water.

I walked over to the lake and splashed myself with water. I saw my reflection in the water, still the pseudo-shiny Grovyle I've always been ever since I ingested Everstone powder. Not that I wanted to evolve. I rinsed stray leaves and grass off of my unusual red body leaves. I snacked on the leaf connecting to my head, and dashed off, noticing a human approaching.

I decided today to leave the Petalburg Woods, rumors of a Lickitung in the area circling about. I'm not very superstitious, but I don't care for taking chances much either. I run through the fairly recent Rusturf Tunnel, dashing through the town and heading over to the daycare where I know a friend that hides out there in the fake mountain. “Hey. Violet.” I said, hopping over the daycare's fence to the mountain. A Quilava emerged from a 'cave', stretching out and sparking, while yawning, “Helloooo Grove.” She laid down at the 'cliff' of the 'mountain' and yawned again. “What brings you here?” She said, drowsily.

“Well, Vi, I left Petalburg because there's been rumors of a Lickitung about.” Grove began explaining. She replied, “So? There's a Lickilicky here too.” Grove continued, saying, “Okay, but, you see, I talked to this fortune teller Kadabra the other day, and-” Violet interrupted me, standing up and hopping down from her mountain, standing up now. “Oh nonono, psychics? Grove, you're smarter than that. You know they're just messing with your mind... literally.” She hopped back up and laid down again, eating a pokéball-colored snack. “I know, but...” I started. She finished, “Look, if you feel nervous/cautious/paranoid/whatever excuse, you can stay here for tonight. You can sleep in front of my mountain, and I'll look out for any Lickitungs.” She chuckled a bit at the last part, I was wholly grateful for her letting me stay here. This is why she's my friend. Reliable, nice, and extroverted to my introvert.

I had no dreams tonight. I slept comfortably on the managed grass, falling asleep with several other Pokémon. Sleep didn't bring discomfort or fear or paranoia, just a lulling, comfortable void.

I woke up to the sound of someone I didn't know saying, “...s a salad!” I yawned and looked at a 6' tower in front of me. It was colored a bright/deep red. I closed my eyes again and tried to get some more rest.

A sudden, soaking sensation snapped me out of sleep. I felt like I was suddenly in a very shallow puddle, and felt myself sliding downwards something. I looked behind me and noticed a black hole and almost instantly reacted, jumping off the thing I was on. From below it I saw it to be a tongue, long, pink and dripping wet. It moved quickly and wrapped around me, stopping me from moving anywhere. “Hey salad! Don't run away! Lickilicky hungry!” It said, rolling its tongue with me in it back inside its mouth. “N-no, I'm not-” Slrrrp. I rolled into his mouth, through his lips with a very audible slurp. Its mouth was awfully wet, I felt like I was in a torrential downpour. The tongue moved articulately, placing me over the Lickilicky's throat. It placed my feet on top of the throat, and a gulp pulled them in.

The tongue let go of me, but it didn't matter at this point. I couldn't pull my feet out of the strong peristalsis. It continued to suck me down, giving a glp, glp, gulp, gulllp, glp, glup! Still continuing down its throat, an audible GLULP! announced my arrival in its stomach. I fell into it, it already a third full of gastric juice. I heard a satisfied urrrrp come from outside, whichever direction that was. All I knew was that the juice my feet was in was down. I leaned against the slimy walls of the stomach and felt more juice come out, filling up the chamber what seemed to be around halfway. I attempted to avoid the juice, but there wasn't anywhere to go. The stomach was already crowded with me in it, and it beginning to churn and turn didn't help either.

I felt like a wave of energy went through me. I'm not sure what it was, but the stomach's juice stopped eating away at my grassy fur. I lifted my leaf out of the juice and looked at it. It was eaten away below my arms, very short now. The leaves on my legs were completely gone at the moment. It came to me very suddenly that the pulse of energy was that of a pokéball, meaning the pokémon had just been caught or returned to its owner. I groaned, as this meant that when I was released, the trainer would get me out and I'd be forced on under his or her ownership. The Lickilicky sounded like it was sleeping, but it didn't help me in anyway. I felt the world sway back and forth, the movements of the pokéball. It felt like I was falling slowly down again, like when being swallowed. I fell asleep in the stomach, to the movement of the world. The hostile environment was surprisingly comfortable...

I gasped awake. Where was I? I felt around. Still in the stomach. The acid seems to have dissipated for the moment. Good. I listened to the heart of the Lickilicky, beating softly, meaning it was still asleep. I attempted to crawl out now, climbing up the esophagus. It felt more cramped than before somehow, annoyingly. I eventually reached the top, the Lickilicky still not waking up despite gagging occasionally. I climbed out of the throat, avoiding the tongue as to not get paralyzed, even though it was rolled up tightly. I forced open its lips, and stepped out... into another stomach. A wave of déjà vu slamming into me. And then a wave of more gastric juice. I cursed to myself and looked up. The stomach felt hot, like a fire-type's. The gastric juice splashed onto the Lickilicky, shocking him awake. “Aah! Where am I?” He said, before noticing me. “Hey, Salad, what are y-” I muffled him, trying to listen through the stomach walls. The heart was beating relatively fast with euphoria, obviously very pleased with having eaten such a large creature as the Lickilicky. “Salad, I'm scared,” Lickilicky said, muffled, through my hand. “I like to eat things but not be eaten.” “Agreed,” I said, and looked for a way out, finding the esophagus at the top of the stomach. I forced it open and began climbing out, again. “Hey, where are you going Salad? Don't leave me!” I groaned and told him, “Just... just stay here. I'll come and get you.” I then climbed up into the throat, which was short, signaling that it was a small pokémon. I leaped out of its mouth, wiping off saliva and juices.

I turned around to see my predator's predator and saw a Quilava whose stomach was distended by its meal. It was laying upside, very, very happy. I approached it, trying to see if I knew it. As I grew near, it opened its eyes and rolled over as much as it could, belly down, and showed bright, violet, flames. “Violet!” I shouted, annoyed. She said back, “Grove!” and extinguished her purple flames, happy to see me. She tried to move but failed to, falling on her side. “When did you get here?” She asked, curious. I grunted back, “I climbed out of two stomachs to get here.” She made an oh gesture, realizing. “Oh, I didn't- I didn't know you were in that pokémon,” she stammered, nervously. I asked her to spit up the pokémon. “But, you don't understand! You know my pokéball style snacks? Well, I wanted more and saw one on the ground. So I ate it, whole I guess, and it clicked in my stomach, letting out that huge thing! But ohmyarceus, it's so filling! Have you ever had a whole pokémon? It's delicious!” I remained firm despite her explanation, and she eventually sighed and managed to somehow spit out the Lickilicky.

They glanced at each other nervously, awkwardness filling the atmosphere. Since the whole... incidents were just that, accidental, I just gave them both advice. “Violet, stop eating pokéballs. Lickilicky, stop eating things without knowing what they are.” They both nodded nervously, and I walked out of the cave, hopping off and dashing away from the day care.